Wednesday, November 25, 2009

In Which I Ask Your Further Indulgence of My DID

Hi! Isn't my cover gorgeous? It's for my new release, An Improper Holiday, available from Samhain Publishing on December 1. That's Nicky in the back and Ian in front of him and they appear to be acting out an excerpt that I just posted over at my live journal.

I'm excited since it's my first m/m historical, and I'm eager to find out what readers think of my historical voice. It's set during the--

Ian : Whatever is she doing?

Nicky: It appears to be some species of slate, magnetized, with clockwork or some such, perhaps. What's positively frightful is the uniformity of her letters. Reminds me of Beresford. Used to birch my hands, remember him, Ian?

Ian: He would scarcely have been taking it out of you at that rate if you had your translations ready.

Nicky: And that could only ever happen if you did them for me.

Ian: Lazy ass.

KA: Excuse me. I was talking.

Nicky: About that, love. You do know the only reason anyone cares what you have to say is because of us.

KA: And if you don't let me tell people about the release, no one will find you and how will you exist then?

Nicky: Is this that self-promotion thing you've been on about? Why don't you do what you always have done?

KA: Because what I usually do is offer a free prequel about—

Ian: Prequel?

KA: It's a short piece about something that happened before your story started. Which in your case—

Ian: Your atrocious grammatical construction notwithstanding I begin to see the difficulty.

Nicky: Well, I'm deviled if I do.

Ian: Where did we meet, Nicky?

Nicky: At school.

Ian: And how old were we when we first, ahh, made a connection of any sort of an intimate nature?

Nicky: I still don't see.

KA: You wouldn't. Of course my other option is the time before Ian left for war—

Ian: And recalling that incident, particularly given your penchant for detail is something I will not countenance. I refuse to be put through that dreadful—

Nicky: Dreadful, he says. Noddy fool. Very well. What then, Mistress of the Magic Slate?

KA: Well, aside from this blog—err, unstructured conversation on the slate, I thought you might be willing to take questions from readers, or potential readers.

Nicky: It sounds like an examination at school.

Ian: I very much doubt we would face similar questions, Nicky.

Nicky: More interesting, then?

KA: Much more.

Nicky: I can only consent if Ian is amenable. You know how uncomfortable he gets.

KA: I'll protect him.

Nicky: Your desire to do so could never equal mine.

KA: Understood. Agreed then?

Ian: If you truly feel this is the way to bring harmony to the lives of others through reading our story, then I am agreed.

Nicky: Harmony, indeed. My what a name for it. I do so love you, Ian.

KA: All right. So here's the link again to the excerpt on my livejournal. And here's the link to the first chapter on Samhain's website. Nicholas, Lord Amherst and the Honorable Mr. Ian Stanton would be available for your questions either here, or at my livejournal through December 9, 2009. Check back on December 9 for a chance to win a free copy of An Improper Holiday. Thanks for visiting guys, uh, chaps.

Ian: Did she mean some sort of imprecation with this "guys"?

Nicky: Perhaps the answer lies in the slate. Lend your brain, Ian, and we shall figure out how to use this thing.

Nicky: Quite honestly, sweet, what the daft sod needs is protection from himself. He demands much more from himself than from anyone else, adhering to a costly notion of what he owes to honor and duty. He's already lost so much because of it. I cannot bear the thought of anyone harming him with their expectations. He takes it all so seriously.